Start by watching this Youtube Video on P21
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
If you caught the recent State of the Union Address delivered by President Obama, you may recall him proclaiming, “Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America's success. But if we want to win the future -- if we want innovation to produce jobs in America and not overseas -- then we also have to win the race to educate our kids” (Obama, 2011). This vision, this dream of the future, will require teachers and schools to reshape the current style of education into a new model. One of the leading organizations advocating such a philosophy for educating our nation’s youth is the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21).
P21’s mission statement is “to serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at the center of US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders” (http://www.p21.org/). This message points to the need for American education to catch up to the world around it. I agree with P21’s goals and am on board to use the resources the organization provides, and I’m not the only one it seems. Look at the members that have partnered with this organizations and you will find front-running companies such as Apple, Adobe, Microsoft, and Verizon just to name a few.
Within an hour of browsing the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website, I found some great online resources. One of the tools they have provided the public with is called Route 21 and it provides links to hundreds of resources they have found to encompass 21st century skills. On one of the links I located several innovative teaching games including one created by an MIT student called, Lure of the Labyrinth. I was also surprised that my home state of Wisconsin is on board with the program, and shows that we have current initiative to support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs in our schools (http://www.p21.org/).
The only issue I have with P21’s theories and ideas is e-school for high school students. I have never liked this idea and feel that young adolescent students should not be allowed this option until they are eighteen years of age. My thoughts are that young children need more direction than e-school can offer, and being able to properly interact in a real, social environment is still an essential skill for any individual.
The website did cause me to examine my own practices, and I found that on most levels, 21st century teaching implies than students have regular accessibility to modern computers and the Internet. One cannot use wikis, blogs, podcasts, or other Internet applications if the tools are not there. Furthermore, the use and variation of technological interfaces such as multi-user virtual environments with avatars or traveling augmented reality sessions described by educational technology pioneer Dr. Chris Dede would currently be impossible in low-fund schools (Laureate, 2010). So in order for this vision to sweep the nation, our schools are going to need some help financially.
References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 12: Technology interfaces [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Obama, B. (2011, January 25). The State of the Union Address. Speech delivered at the House of Representatives Chamber at the U.S. Capitol.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved January 26, 2011 from http://www.p21.org/
I too was inspired by President Obama’s State of the Union Address. His statements concerning education were correct. While many good educators already teach many of the necessary skills for the workforce such as problem solving, critical thinking, work ethic and communication skills. Unfortunately, as you mentioned many school systems still lack the resources essential to teach students many of the 21st century skills.
ReplyDeleteIn my comment on another classmate’s blog I mentioned that I wondered exactly how the members/partners contribute to the overall goal of bringing 21st readiness to US schools in terms of financial support. After all what good is all this planning and preparation (professional development) if we (under privilege schools) can never put it to use.
You make an excellent point about having students reach a certain age before being e-schooled. Students need to have a certain level of maturity before they are set free with objectives to meet and assignments to complete. Some students need that guidance of another human being, standing next to them, telling them what to do and how to do it. It all comes down to a balance. We can still implement these 21st century tools and e-technologies in our own classrooms which are more structured. This is the best of both worlds.
ReplyDeleteThe Route 21 links were very informative. I’m glad that The Partnership for 21st Century Skills is showcasing lessons and standards for other teachers to model from. Unfortunately, some of the links they provided are dead and the snap shots videos need to be updated. However, this website looks to be a good resource for teachers of all financial constraints.